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Resume Companion has the best free online resume builder in the business. In just 15 minutes you can easily create a perfectly formatted, professionally written resume that will land you more interviews.

Since 2009 Resume Companion has helped thousands of job seekers from 186 countries create the perfect resume. We’re committed to providing the best possible resources to help job seekers on their journey to employment.

From our expertly crafted resume examples and templates to our cover letter writing guide, we have everything you need to succeed.

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How to Write a Cover Letter

A well-written cover letter is an essential part of many job applications. Our experts have created the ultimate guide for creating a compelling, professional cover letter that will impress hiring managers and land you more interviews.

Just follow our 5 golden rules and your cover letter will be better than ever.

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The Essentials

Resume Format

Resume Format Overview & Guide

Combination Resume Format Guide

Resume Introductions

How to Write a Resume Objective

How to Write a Qualifications Summary

How to Write a Summary of Qualifications

Writing a summary of qualifications is an excellent way for highly-experienced job candidates to set themselves apart from the crowd. This guide is filled with examples and tips that will help you write your own, and land more interviews.

1. What is a summary of qualifications?

In times past, most resumes would begin with a career objective. In it, the applicant would write a two-sentence description of their main qualifications for the job, and their desire to fill that job opening.

However, resume formatting has diversified to accommodate the needs of an increasingly diverse pool of job seekers. It’s becoming more popular (and necessary) to begin with bulleted resume introductions or short summaries that cover your main achievements, qualifications, and skills that qualify you for the job.

2. How to write a qualifications summary

In your qualifications summary, you can include sentences/bullets for:

How many years you’ve worked professionally in your area of expertise, and relate your main job description and/or professional achievement related to the job that you are applying for.

What kind of degree(s) you’ve earned, and any coursework related to the job you’re applying for.

What kind of skills (software, hardware, language, physical, etc.) you have that are related to job you’re applying for. Tip: Use both acronyms and their spelled out form for best keyword optimization.

What kind of licenses and/or certificates you’ve earned, and the job responsibilities you’ve had resulting from earning these certifications, once again in relation to the job you’re applying for.

The best thing that you can do to make your qualifications summary (and the rest of your resume) effective is to read the job description carefully, and try to copy the verb-phrases that the hiring manager has written into it when writing your own job descriptions. That way, it’s highly likely that you’ll be hitting keywords and key phrases that the ATS will be looking for.

Your summary of qualifications should include a nice range of examples that make your resume really stand out. View our “Elements” table to make sure you’re hitting on the key areas.

Elements

Description

Expertise

This first point should highlight your total amount of relevant experience. You should also mention some of your key skills, and prove how you used those skills to keep your previous company running smoothly.

Productivity

How did you help your former company operate efficiently? Did you save the company time or money? If yes, use examples to illustrate these points. If you were much more productive than your peers, mention this too using numbers.

Leadership

How many people have you supervised in the past? Have you helped turn a doomed project into a successful one? Give some concrete examples of your leadership ability for point three.

Interpersonal Skills

Are you good at working with people? Give examples of how you've worked well with coworkers, clients and managers in the past. Don't just say "team player" - prove it!

Imagination

Have you used creativity to solve any problems at work? Have you headed off any successful projects? Showcase your ability to think outside the box with some solid examples.

Awards & Achievements

If you've received recognition at work or in the public sphere (in a newspaper or on television/radio), put it down if you think it reinforces your qualification as a job candidate!

3. Should I use a summary of qualifications?

“There’s more than one way to cook an egg”. Similarly, there’s more than one way to kick off a great resume. I’ve used qualifications summaries, resume profiles, and career objectives over the years, and they each have their own unique texture and flavor (both resume intros and eggs). I’ll highlight their key differences and functions, and let you decide which sounds most suitable for you.

A baked egg inside of an avocado. Glorious (and healthy)

Summary of Qualifications

A summary of qualifications is used to highlight the variety of work experiences you’ve built up over time. If you are lacking in the experience department, it might be better to try a different resume introduction. They are often bulleted, but can be written as a short paragraph too if you want to mix it up (no more than six sentences).

On the technical side, the qualifications summary creates another space on your resume to fit in important applicant tracking system (ATS) targeted keywords and impress the company’s robotic guardian.

Your work experience is quantifiable (i.e. you can use numbers to prove your value for a former company)

You have a diverse range of skills related to the industry

You are worried about your resume passing the criteria of the ATS

Don’t use if:

You are inexperienced

You don’t have concrete numbers to use

Your current range of relevant skill sets is limited

Resume Profile

A resume profile (or “professional profile”) is a bit like a career objective & qualifications summary hybrid. It’s usually four bullets or sentences long, and it touches upon your experience, area of expertise, primary skills and tops it off with a key achievement which should reveal your ability to make an impact as an employee.

This structured approach is great because its content is a bit more general, making it a valuable addition to a LinkedIn profile! Our guide to composing your own resume profile is a useful tool if this sounds like a route you’d like to take.

Use if:

You achieved something impressive while working at a former job

You are trying to land a job in the same field you’ve already been working in

You are an expert in a certain part of your industry

Don’t use if:

You are fresh out of college

You are new to the field

You don’t have any major, relevant career achievements under your belt

Career Objective

Career objectives (or resume objectives) are the classic resume introduction, where you target a specific company and explain why you’d make a positive impact if hired. These are commonly used by entry-level candidates and straight-out-of-college graduates because they don’t require concrete workforce experience to write.

Started the “Call a Member” program, which increased customer satisfaction with our gym and helped make it one of the highest rated gyms in Sacramento

Awarded trainer of the month five times during my tenure at Eagle Fitness

Example 2: Operations Manager Summary of Qualifications

Operations Manager with 12+ years of management experience in manufacturing plants, providing strategic planning and solutions for profitable plant operations, and overseeing daily production activities.

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Our Expert

Lauren McAdams

Senior Employment Consultant

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